# External Secrets Knowledge Patch > External Secrets Operator - Skill: `nevaberry/external-secrets-knowledge-patch-2` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 9 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add nevaberry/external-secrets-knowledge-patch-2` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/nevaberry/external-secrets-knowledge-patch-2/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - License: MIT - Author: nevaberry (https://skillmd.com/u/nevaberry) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/nevaberry/external-secrets-knowledge-patch-2 --- # External Secrets Operator Compatibility Use this skill when designing, upgrading, operating, or troubleshooting External Secrets Operator (ESO) resources, providers, generators, Helm deployments, and push workflows. Check the installed chart and controller versions before applying version-dependent guidance, and trust live CRDs and rendered manifests when they differ from examples. ## Topic index | Reference | Topics | | --- | --- | | [API and reconciliation](references/api-and-reconciliation.md) | `ExternalSecret`, stores, refresh behavior, validation, metadata, and reconciliation | | [Cloud and Vault providers](references/cloud-and-vault-providers.md) | AWS, GCP, Azure, Kubernetes, Vault, OpenBao, IBM, Yandex, Cloud.ru, Volcengine, and Barbican | | [Helm and operations](references/helm-and-operations.md) | Chart values, probes, HA, metrics, logs, CRDs, RBAC, and release artifacts | | [Integration providers](references/integration-providers.md) | 1Password, Akeyless, BeyondTrust, Conjur, Delinea, Doppler, Infisical, Passbolt, and other integrations | | [PushSecret workflows](references/push-secrets.md) | `PushSecret`, `ClusterPushSecret`, `dataTo`, policies, mapping, fan-out, and cleanup | | [Security and support](references/security-and-support.md) | Support policy, deprecation boundaries, hardening, namespace isolation, and provider maturity | | [Templates, generators, and CLI](references/templates-generators-and-cli.md) | Template behavior, functions, generators, rendering, and `esoctl` | ## Breaking changes and migrations ### Removed providers Alibaba and Device42 were removed in 2.0.0 because they were unsupported and unmaintained. Migrate any stores that use them before upgrading. ### Image registry migration The chart default moved in 1.1.0 from `oci.external-secrets.io/external-secrets/external-secrets` to `ghcr.io/external-secrets/external-secrets`. Update pinned or overridden image repositories; the chart repository remains on GitHub Pages. ### Flux OCI chart extraction From 2.2.0, a Flux `OCIRepository` must select and extract the Helm chart content layer: ```yaml spec: url: oci://ghcr.io/external-secrets/charts/external-secrets layerSelector: mediaType: application/vnd.cncf.helm.chart.content.v1.tar+gzip operation: extract ``` ### Removed template and generator behavior - `getHostByName` was removed from template functions in 2.3.0. Replace templates that perform DNS lookups. - The `STSSessionToken` generator lost JWT-token authentication in 0.19.0. Choose another supported authentication route. - Kubernetes-provider pushes replace the complete remote Secret from 2.7.0; keys absent from the pushed Secret are removed instead of retained. - Optional `ExternalSecret` strategy fields are no longer defaulted into the stored object in 2.9.0. Do not require omitted fields to be written back. ### API transition Provider examples use `external-secrets.io/v1`. Legacy beta-version serving became configurable in 1.3.0; treat it as a migration aid, not a reason to postpone manifest conversion. ## Reconciliation quick reference ### Refresh policies - `Periodic` is the default. A zero `refreshInterval` performs the initial fetch and create but no later update. - `OnChange` ignores the interval and reacts to `ExternalSecret` metadata or spec changes. - `CreatedOnce` repairs a changed or deleted target while the same `ExternalSecret` survives. Recreating the resource resets status and can rewrite an existing target. - For a generated credential intended to survive source deletion and reject replacement, combine `refreshPolicy: CreatedOnce`, `creationPolicy: Orphan`, and `target.immutable: true`. ### Manual refresh Use different annotation names: ```sh kubectl annotate es my-es force-sync=$(date +%s) --overwrite kubectl annotate ces my-ces external-secrets.io/force-sync=$(date +%s) --overwrite ``` Changing or deleting the cluster annotation propagates to owned resources. Read [API and reconciliation](references/api-and-reconciliation.md) for metadata, selectors, retry settings, status, dynamic targets, and sync windows. ### Creation and store behavior - `CreateOrMerge` is accepted as an `ExternalSecret` target creation policy from 2.8.0. - `SecretStore.refreshInterval` accepts duration strings from 2.8.0. - A store can be marked deprecated from 1.2.0. - A `SecretStore` can report unknown status when its state cannot be determined. - Stores without an explicit maintainer emit controller and admission warnings; the maintenance annotation suppresses only the controller event. ## Push quick reference Use exactly one `selector` source in a namespaced `PushSecret`: a Kubernetes Secret or `generatorRef`. Transform it with `template` or `templateFrom`, then map outgoing keys through `data[].match`. `updatePolicy: Replace` allows overwrites; `deletionPolicy` defaults to `None`, so set `Delete` when remote cleanup is required. `dataTo` bulk expansion, introduced in the `2.3-datato` batch, can select all source keys or a regexp-filtered subset. Each entry needs a `storeRef` that also appears in `secretStoreRefs`. Without `remoteKey`, matches become separate remote secrets; with `remoteKey`, they become one JSON object. Expansion applies the template first, converts keys before matching and rewriting, and gives an explicit `data` entry precedence for the same original Kubernetes key. Invalid regexps, duplicate remote keys, and conflicting sources fail reconciliation; no matches is a successful no-op. Read [PushSecret workflows](references/push-secrets.md) before relying on deletion, fan-out, cross-namespace, or provider-specific behavior. ## Helm and operations quick reference ### Keep CRDs and controllers aligned Disabling CRD creation does not disable its reconciler. Pair each disabled `crds.create*` value with the matching `process*` value. If the webhook is disabled, disable CRD conversion too, or the API server calls a missing endpoint. ```yaml crds: createPushSecret: false conversion: enabled: false processPushSecret: false webhook: create: false ``` ### Availability is mostly opt-in The controller defaults to one replica; its liveness, readiness, and PDB are not enabled by default. Webhook and cert-controller readiness are enabled, but their liveness and PDB remain off. For HA, enable replicas and leader election and use a distinct `leaderElectionID` for each ESO deployment in a namespace. Lease timing is configurable from 2.8.0, and a lower-level `--leader-election-id` flag exists from 2.4.0. ### Metrics, logs, and probes - Secure metrics serving arrived in 0.20.0; metrics authentication and authorization through `FilterProvider` arrived in 2.5.0. - The controller gained a liveness probe in 0.20.0, configurable readiness in 2.2.0, and cert-controller/webhook liveness in 2.4.0. - Webhook startup probes are configurable from 2.8.0. - Keeper exposes `provider_api_calls_count` from 2.6.0. - Secret deletions and data-key changes are logged from 2.7.0. Read [Helm and operations](references/helm-and-operations.md) for all chart values, probe details, RBAC gates, scheduling, and observability changes. ## Security quick reference Do not infer a hardened deployment from the restricted default pod security context. NetworkPolicies and metrics TLS/authentication are off by default, while broad ServiceAccount-token creation and role aggregation are on. Limit egress to DNS, the Kubernetes API, and required provider endpoints; constrain store access, remote-key prefixes, enabled providers, and generic-target permissions. For namespace-only installs, set both `scopedRBAC: true` and `scopedNamespace`. Disable blanket token creation with `rbac.serviceAccountTokenCreate: false`, then grant `serviceaccounts/token` creation by `resourceNames` for each referenced ServiceAccount. Treat `genericTargets.enabled` as an explicit controller-privilege expansion. Verify release images by immutable digest. Keyless signatures, SLSA provenance, and SPDX JSON SBOM attestations are available, but release artifacts and signatures are outside the compatibility guarantee. Read [Security and support](references/security-and-support.md) before making support, hardening, or provider-maturity assumptions. ## Provider selection quick reference Provider maturity does not imply capability parity. Confirm each provider's support for find, metadata, referent authentication, validation, push, and merge/delete operations. In particular: - OpenBao has a dedicated provider from 2.7.0; older configurations can use Vault compatibility, but new configurations can use OpenBao trust, namespaces, `userPass`, or `appRole` directly. - Vault supports Pod Identity, GCP Workload Identity, token caching with expiry validation, namespace-aware client caching, TLS roles, dynamic GET parameters, and push operations; load the provider reference for version details. - AWS metadata synchronization occurs even when a secret value is unchanged, and explicit credentials no longer fall back to EC2 instance metadata. - Kubernetes push replaces the whole Secret, while whole-Secret deletion and `SecretExists` are separately supported. - A provider classified read-write can receive `PushSecret`; unsupported Conjur push and delete calls return explicit errors. Use [Cloud and Vault providers](references/cloud-and-vault-providers.md) or [Integration providers](references/integration-providers.md) for the exact provider capability and authentication changes. ## Templates and generators quick reference Templates support custom delimiters, native values in value scope, templated `dataFrom` JSONPath, `certSANs`, hexadecimal conversion with `hexdec`, slice notation, mixed-case generic target paths, decoded `templateFrom` values, and template-defined finalizers. Source null-byte handling is configurable. Review [Templates, generators, and CLI](references/templates-generators-and-cli.md) for generator-specific fields, removed behavior, and rendering commands.